It's Okay
by bloodredcherry
Summary: "I've had a lot of reactions in my day… but I can say that is a first." the voice grumbled, and even though his voice was hoarse from a night in a crowded bar, it still made her shiver.  Please R&R


**Authors Note**: One night I just started typing and this is what came of it… a year and a half later. It's so funny how muses work.

Anyway, I've always appreciated these two characters together, and I wanted to write it in a way that wasn't necessarily romantic, but could be if you wanted to read it that way.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

**Rating:** K+

**It's Okay**

Her first thought when she woke up was that she couldn't breathe.

She opened a bleary eye and surveyed her surroundings. It was hazy, partly because she had sleep in her eye and also because it hurt too much for her to open her eye completely. Glancing down she saw what was obstructing her breathing, it was an arm… in a second the word _severed_ flit across Emily Prentiss' arm and she twitched awake.

She screamed and flung the severed limb away from her.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and dropped to her tail bone when she realized the arm was attached to a body… a very familiar body, one that shifted under the covers and looked up at her.

"I've had a lot of reactions in my day… but I can say that is a first." the voice grumbled, and even though his voice was hoarse from a night in a crowded bar, it still made her shiver.

Emily blinked at the man who was talking to her, it was still hard to focus but she was a little more awake. Suddenly she was all too aware that she was only wearing a red camisole. She snatched the blankets and pulled them up to her chest.

"Sorry," Emily finally managed to squeak, "I thought you were just a limb."

There was a moment of silence and then laughter, a sputter of laughter. It was silenced a second later when a pillow hit Derek Morgan right in the face. This time it was Emily's turn to laugh, as a wayward feather had ended up sticking to Derek's mouth. Her peel of laughter echoed through her apartment, and then she winced.

"Quiet," Derek hushed, waving at her.

Emily sobered quickly.

"Derek…" she said slowly, "you're going to have to fill me in…" She clutched the blankets tightly under her chin. She wished she could pull the covers over her head and disappear.

Derek was resting on his elbow, "you don't remember?"

Emily had to think about that for a moment, she remembered the night in pieces. Admittedly she had drunk too much, but after a rough case she hoped that the drinks Paul kept buying would dull the ache.

_Stupid…_ Emily chastised herself.

Paul or Handsy as she had taken to calling him in her head had seemed nice enough. She couldn't blame a guy for trying when she hadn't put up much of a fight. It was when he started mentioning his apartment that she sobered enough to quickly text Derek.

"Poor Handsy," Derek lamented, "he didn't even know what hit him." Derek didn't miss the look that passed across Emily's face. Damn if that girl wasn't funny when she was drunk, well, funn_ier_.

"Well I think you laid it on a bit thick Derek." Emily retorted, she remembered the look on Paul's face. "I think you hurt his feelings."

"Oh excuse me, _I_ hurt his feelings? I'm not the one who conveniently forgot to mention her incredibly built boyfriend."

Emily's mouth dropped open, "I didn't say that!"

Derek's mouth turned up in a smug grin, "baby, you didn't have to."

Emily buried her face in her hands and let out a strangled scream. Suddenly she felt a pressure on her arm and she looked up.

Derek's smug smile was gone, and Emily's tight grip on her blanket loosened slightly.

"Whatever you think happened didn't." Derek reached out and tapped her nose, "I promise you that."

"Then…?"

"You asked me to stay Emily."

That's right, she had. She remembered something about _not wanting to be alone_. She was also pretty sure Derek had taken the couch until…

Derek must have seen the look on Emily's face, because his hand was back on her arm, steadying, secure and safe.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of Emily."

Emily let out a deep breath, and then she did the only thing she could think of. She leaned to the left and Derek met her halfway, so that her head was resting on his shoulder. She shifted on the mattress, settling in.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Derek smiled and tightened his arm around her shoulders. The brush of his lips against her forehead saying, _you're welcome_.

**End Note: **There you have it folks, I took a page right out of the _Holiday_ (it's so small that you'll have to squint to see it) and I'm pretty happy with how this story turned out.

Considering how depressing this season has been I decided that a fluffy ending was appropriate. Let me know what you think, comments and constructive criticism make my day!


End file.
